‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Spinoff Movie Sparks Fan Theories

Warning: This story contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

The Sonic Cinematic Universe is expanding faster than the speed of, well, Sonic. A fifth movie based on the speedy blue hedgehog, reported to be a spinoff of Paramount’s hit franchise, is scheduled for theatrical release in December 2028.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the franchise’s third official sequel and follow-up to last year’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3, is due out on March 19, 2027. However, Variety reports the newly confirmed fifth film is being marketed as a “Sonic Universe Event Film,” AKA a spinoff, rather than another sequel to the movies’ main story line.

What Is the Sonic Spinoff Movie About?

The yet-to-be-titled Sonic spinoff is scheduled to hit theaters on December 22, 2028. While plot details have yet to be revealed, Sonic fans are already sharing their theories online about which character(s) could potentially take center stage in the film.

One theory is that the spinoff could focus on Amy Rose, who will appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and was briefly introduced during a post-credits scene in 2024’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Other fans would like to see Sonic’s sidekick Tails receive his own spinoff film, especially if it’s an origin story for the little two-tailed flying fox.

READ MORE: The Complete History of Sonic the Hedgehog

An even more likely theory is that the standalone film could follow Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves in the last movie. The brooding anti-hero is a longtime fan-favorite among Sonic fans, and while his potential participation in the upcoming fourth film is still a mystery, a post-credits scene in Sonic 3 revealed Dr. Robotnik’s “Ultimate Lifeform” survived after sacrificing himself to save Earth in a deadly space explosion.

A standalone Shadow movie probably makes the most sense in terms of storytelling potential, fan excitement and star power (Reeves), and would also offer the opportunity to introduce characters such as Rouge the Bat or E-123 Omega—both allies of Shadow and fellow members of Team Dark, as well as favorites in the fandom.

Meanwhile, other possible spinoff concepts could potentially bring less obvious characters like Blaze the Cat, Big the Cat or Silver the Hedgehog into the mix, though it’s more likely the spinoff will focus on a popular side character already introduced on screen. Speaking of which, while Knuckles could certainly hold down a film of his own, the Idris Elba-voiced red echidna already received his own spinoff series on Paramount+.

As for the forthcoming fourth Sonic film, little is known about the plot, though based on Sonic 3’s post-credits scene involving Amy Rose’s arrival, we can assume Metal Sonic will play a big role.

As for Dr. Robotnik, who seemingly died sacrificing himself to save the planet at the end of the last movie, actor Jim Carrey did previously hint that he’d be game to play Eggman again if the story was right.

“I’m definitely open. I’m open to the idea, and generally, they come to me with the next idea, and if I go, ‘That sounds fun,’ then I’ll do it. I don’t feel locked to anything in life, unless it’s something that interests me,” Carrey told Japanese YouTube channel Cinema Today in early 2025.